Truck-retaining center-bearing.



J. M. COLEMAN.

TRUCK RETAINING CENTER BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1914.

1,147,210. Patented July 20, 1915.

" 7 /6 20 A5; 503/ fia4 UNITED TE PHA ff I 7 JAMES moomman, or MONTREAL, -Q UEBEC, CANADA,

TRUCK-RETAINING CENTE R BEARITNG.

Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Truck-Retaining Center- Bearings, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in center bearings for car trucks, and the object is toprovide a bearing whichwill attach and hold a car truck to the car body.

A further object is to provide meansfor attaching a car truck to the car-body without the use of a king. pin. i f

A still further object is to provide a connection between a car truckand-zbody which will have a strength equal to or greater than the pins used at presentffor this purpose.

The device consists essentially of a pair of cooperating bearing members, one of which is provided with a flange surrounding the other member. These members are provided with cooperating lugs, which hold against separation. One member is in addition provided with a central flange or boss engaging in a recess of the other member, to serve the same purpose as the king pin at present in ordinary use. a

In the drawings which illustrate the in ventionz-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of truck and body bolsters connected by the improved bearing. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the male bearing member. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the female bearing member. Fig. 4: is an enlargement of the section of the bearing shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 designates a body bolster and 6 a truck bolster, each having a central aperture 7 for the passage of a king pin, and a seat 8 surrounding these apertures for the reception of a center bearing.

The center bearing comprises male and female members 9 and 10 respectively, each having a central aperture 11 for the passage of a king pin.

The male member comprises a. circular body 12 having attaching flanges 13 formed to fit the bolster seat 8. This bodyis formed concavely on its upper surface 14, the curvature being preferably spherically curved. At the center, an upstanding flange 15 is provided surrounding the pin opening 11, while at the periphery two diametrically opposite Specification of ietters' Patent.

Patented July Application fiIedFebr-uary 18, 1914. Serial No. 819,419.

outwardly projecting lugs 16 are provided.

These lugs project radially and each occupy approximately one-quarter of -the body.circumference, as clearly'shown. a i The female member consists of'a circular body isforme'd convexly onits surface 18 to cooperat'ewith; the concave surface 14of the male member. An annular depression .body 17 having attaching flanges 13. 'This I 19 isformed at the center surrounding-the pin aperture 11 for the-reception. of the flange15. The body is surrounded by-a depending flange 20 adapted to embrace the body of the male member.; This flangeis provided with two-internally projecting lugs :21 arranged diametrically opposite, each. o'cl cupyingapproximately one-quarter of :the

flanges inner circumference. The proportionof the two ,members-is-such ;that::.the flanges of the two members are. equidistant from the body centers! F-Thelugs of the female member are, however, in a different plane from the lugs of the male member, as

clearly seen inFig. 1,; so that whenthe two members are brought together, they may be revolvedrelatively: without their lugs strikingu Owing to the lugs of each member occupying approximately one-quarter of the circumference, it will be necessary to turn the members with their lugs at right angles in order to assemble the members, so that the lugs of one member will pass between the lugs of the other member, If the two members are now relatively revolved even a small amount, the lugs engage under one another and hold the members against separation. The centralflange 15 of the male member engaging in the recess 19 of the female member holds the two members against relative movement perpendicular to the axes of the pin apertures 11.

When the device is applied to a car, one member is attached in the seat of the body bolster and the other member in the seat of the truck bolster The lugs of the'two members engage under one another andv hold the truck against separation on the body if v the same is raised. This attachment" is maintained through an arc of more than ,so that it will be readily. seen the truck is permitted vastly greater radial movement than will ever be required. Theflange 15 engaging in the recess 19 provides connec' tion between the body and truck for traction purposes and serves the same purpose as the king pin. The only way in which the truckios and body can become separated in an accident is by the truck becoming swung through an angle of exactly 90. Trucks are, however, each provided with four very substantial corner chains which will eflectually prevent such occurrence. The lugs being very large and heavy will not be readily broken, while the form and proportions of the flange 15 give it even greater strength than a pin passing through the apertures 11 would have. In manufacture, the flanges 15 and 20 and the lugs are made quite loose fits as clearly shown in Fig. 4, so that the whole load is supported by engagement of the spherically curved convex and concave faces. This looseness of fit combined with the spherically curved faces allows the body and truck a slight relative oscillation in any direction, so that the lugs and flanges are relieved of all minor shocks due to roughness of the track. This feature is in fact another advantage of the device, as it enables a slight but necessary flexibility between the body and truck to be maintained. If this flexibility is permitted with the ordinary king pin attachment, a rattling pin results. The castings for this bearing are no more expensive to manufacture than the present center bearing castings, but as the large steel pin is eliminated, a considerable saving is effected on each car. The main object of holding the trucks to the body in the event of accident is easily and inexpensively attained, and at the same time other subsidiary objects are attained without increasing the cost of manufacture or adding the complication of additional parts. In fact, the cost and the number of parts are both reduced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A center bearing comprising co-engaging convex and concave plates, interrupted flanges at the edges of said plates, and lugs on the flanges of one plate insertible through the interruptions of and embracing the flange of the other plate.

2. A center bearing for cars, comprising the combination with a car body and truck of a convex and a concave plate severally attached to the body and truck, interrupted flanges on said plates, lugs on the flange of one plate insertible through and embracing the flange of the other plate and holding the body and truck against separation through relative revolution of 90, a centrally disposed recess in one plate, and a centrally disposed projection in the other plate engaging in said recess and forming draft mechanism for the truck.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. COLEMAN.

Witnesses S. R. W. ALLEN, G. M. MORELAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

